Fuse-clamping terminal.



No. 815,746. PATENTED MAR. 20, 1906. A. O. SAVAGE.

FUSE CLAMPING TERMINAL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1904.

Witnesses Inventor 6M Arthur C. S avenge ALLlJ.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I ARTHUR C. SAVAGE, OF SCHENECTADY, NEWYORK, ASSIGNOR TO GEN- ERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Iatented March 20, 1906.

Application filed July 20,1904. Serial No. 217,324.

, vide an improved terminal clamp for holding the end of the fuse, onewhich is compact, strong, and inexpensive, which enables the fuse to bequickly replaced Without moving the cover of the box, and is locatedwell back in the field of the blow-out magnet to insure theextinguishment of the arc in case the fuse I should burn up entirely.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of afuse-box with the cover removed, showing my improved terminal clamps;and Fig. 2 is a section of one of said clamps.

The box 1 is made of sheets and strips of insulation, such as fibersuitably fastened together. Its bottom is open to permit the escape ofthe arc when the fuse blows. At each end of'the box in theupper corneris secured a terminal clamp consisting of a block 2, having a transversehole 3 to receive the conducting-lead and cut away at one side to formjaws 4, which cooperate with a wedge 5, operated, preferably, by a screw6. The wedge preferably constitutes the nut with which the screw meshes,the screw having a smooth shank 7, rotatable in a bearing in the block.A handle 8, of insulation, is secured to the shank outside of the boxand has a large cylindrical body 9, rotatable in a somewhat largeropening in the end of the box. A loose washer 10, of insulation,surrounds the shank 7 between the body 9 and the block 2. A detent isprovided to prevent the screw from becoming accidentally loosened. Thisis plunger 11, sliding radially to t e screw in a socket in the lowerpart of the block. The plunger is bored out to receive a helical spring12, which, abuts against a screw plug 13, forming the bottom of thesocket. The head of the plunger is square to engage with flattened faces14 on the shank of the screw. A fixed collar 15 on the screw standsinside of the plunger and prevents the screw from preferably a movingoutwardly when the wedge is being backed out of the jaws.

Below each block 2 is a guard of insulation 16, fastened to the end ofthe box and covering the lower end of the block. This guard assists insu porting the block and also protects the block and the screw-plug incase of an excessive arc.

The fuse 17 is a strip of copper or the like turning the handles so astodraw the wedge into the jaws.

When a fuse blows, the magnetic field bends its ends backward anddownward. If the fuse burns clear to the terminal, the arc will then bein a strong field and short-circuiting is prevented. The position of thepole-piece on the cover is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. \A newfuse can be-inserted without taking off the cover of the box, since thewedges are operated from outside the box. This enables the cover to bepermanently f astened on in the shop, so that the joint between the boxand its cover can be made tight enough to prevent the escape of an arethrough said joint, a precaution which is necessary in using heavycurrents to prevent short-circuiting.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

1. The combination with a fuse-box of insulation, of two clampingterminals, each comprising a block of metal having jaws, a wedgecooperating therewith, an operating device for said wedge extending tothe outside of the box, and locking means for said operating device. j

2. A clamping-terminal for a fuse, comprising a metal block providedwith jaws, a wedge entering between said jaws, a screw engaging withsaid wedge and having a smooth shank rotatable in a bearing in saidblock, a shoulder on said screw, and a' projection carried by the blockadapted to engage said shoulder.

3. Aclampin -terminal for afuse, comprising a metal bloc provided withjaws, a wedge entering between said jaws, a screw engaging with saidwedge and having a smooth shank rotatable in a bearing in said block,and a detent engaging with said screw.

4. A clamping-terminal for a fuse, comprising a metal block provid edwith jaws, a wedge entering between said jaws, a screw engaging whoseends are inserted between the lower jaw and the wedge and clampedtightly byto 5 with said wed e andhaving a smooth shank rotatable in aeanng in sa1d block,.flattened faees on said screw, and-a spring-plungerengaginiwith said faces.

clamEmg-terminal for a fuse, comprising a metal lock provided with jawsand a socket, 'a wedge cooperating with said jaws and constituting a nuta screw meshing with said nut and having a collar and flattened

